Mersa Matruh

Mersa Matruh, also transliterated as Marsa Matruh, is a port in Egypt and the capital of Matrouh Governorate. It is located west of Alexandria and east of Sallum on the main highway from the Nile Delta to the Libyan border. The city is also accessible from the south via another highway running through the Western Desert towards Siwa Oasis and Bahariya Oasis.
In ancient Egypt and during the reign of Alexander the Great, the city was known as Amunia. In the Ptolemaic Kingdom and later during the Byzantine Empire, it was known as Paraitónion. During the Roman Empire, it was called Paraetonium in Latin, which became after the mid-7th century Muslim conquest of Egypt. As a British military base during World War II, several battles were fought around its environs as the Italo-German Panzer Army Africa attempted to capture the port. It fell to the Axis during the Battle of Mersa Matruh, but was recaptured following the Second Battle of El Alamein.
Mersa Matruh is served by Mersa Matruh International Airport. The city features soft white sand beaches and calm transparent waters; the bay is protected from the high seas by a series of rocks forming a natural breakwater, with a small opening to allow access for light vessels.
History
Mersa Matruh started as a small fishing town during Ancient Egyptian times and the reign of Alexander The Great and was named Amunia. There are ruins of a temple for Ramesses II (1200 BC). The city became known as Paraitonion in the Ptolemaic era. Ovid wrote that its goddess is Isis. After Egypt came under Roman rule, the town became an important harbor for trade and shipping goods and crops to Rome.
By the 6th century the city was Christianised and had a chapel church built in the Byzantine style.
After the Arabic conquest, the city's name changed to Al-Baretun. The city also bore other names from at least the beginning of the 20th century – Berek Marsa, Port Mhaddra (Mithr), and Port Bardiah.
During World War II, the British Army's Baggush Box was located to the east. Starting with the completion of an extension from the previous railhead at Fuka in February 1936, Mersa Matruh was the terminus for a single-track railway, which passed through El Alamein. Mersa Matruh served as a vital British military base during World War II and was a major objective of Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps, which captured it during the Battle of Mersa Matruh.
In early 2011, during the Arab Spring, protests broke out in the city, and later on the evening of 2 October 2023, during the lead up to the 2023 Egyptian presidential election, a Nation's Future Party (Mostakbal El-Watan) rally in support of Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, turned into Anti-Sisi protests with protesters burning photos of El-Sisi and chanting chants against him.
Geography
Climate
Mersa Matruh has a dry-summer hot desert climate (BWhs) according to Köppen climate classification, but winds blowing from the Mediterranean Sea greatly moderate the temperature, making its summers moderately hot and humid while its winters are mild and moderately wet. Summers are sunny and dry, while in the colder months, there is some rain and cloud cover. Sleet and hail are common in winter.
Mersa Matruh and Port Said have the coolest summer days off all Egyptian cities and resorts, although not significantly cooler than other northern coastal places. Additionally Rafah, Alexandria, Abu Qir, Rosetta, Baltim, Kafr el-Dawwar and Mersa Matruh are the wettest in Egypt.
Main sights
Ruins of the Temple of the King, Pharaoh Ramesses II (1200 BC)
Drowned city of Caesar.
Drowned Palace of Cleopatra.
Egyptian Fleet Anchorage which was built by the Ptolemies. The remains of the naval installations still stand west of the port.
Coptic Chapel: built in the early Coptic age, it contains several caves bearing inscriptions.
Rommel's Hideout: A cave, hewn in the rock, where Rommel drew up plans for his military operations. It has now been turned into a military museum.
The British Cemetery: Thousands of rock-hewn tombstones stand in straight rows amidst a fenced garden.
The German Cemetery: It is a fortress-like memorial that was built on a height overlooking the sea.
The Italian Cemetery: It is a high tower fort standing on a high hill. The walls of the building are covered with marble.
Main beaches
Ageebah Beach: About 28 km west of Mersa Matruh downtown, it is distinguished by its numerous natural cave
Al-Obayed Beach: About 20 km west of Mersa Matruh downtown
Rommel Bay.
Photo gallery
See also
List of cities and towns in Egypt
Northern coast of Egypt
References
External links
Marsa Matrouh images
Sources
Governorate capitals in Egypt
Populated places in Matrouh Governorate
Populated coastal places in Egypt
Tourism in Egypt
Mediterranean port cities and towns in Egypt